Sandy now a distant memory

A year later, SNCH dialysis center continues comeback

Posted
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 4:06 pm

The waiting room after the hospital

Courtesy SNCH

By Howard Schwach

For local residents, Oct. 29, 2012 will be one of a handful of historic dates that those on the south shore of Long Island will remember for the rest of their lives, talking about where they were when Hurricane Sandy hit, what they lost, and what it took to recover.

One of those who will remember is Richard Murphy, the CEO of South Nassau Communities Hospital.

Within hours after Sandy swept over Long Island, leaving a massive trail of destruction in its wake, South Nassau Communities Hospital took immediate and decisive action to begin the process of re-opening the doors of its Outpatient Dialysis Center (OPD) to the patients who rely on it to serve as their “home away from home” as they receive dialysis treatments that are critical to their overall daily health and wellness.

The 10,000 square foot free-standing center, located in Oceanside, incurred significant damage from Sandy’s storm surge, losing much of its interior and medical equipment.

Renovation of the center commenced promptly and was ongoing 10 hours a day, 7 days a week until it was completed. While plans for the renovation were under discussion, the dialysis center’s staff was working with alacrity to place the patients in area dialysis facilities to receive their treatments without going off schedule. Within 36 hours after Superstorm Sandy, all 136 of the center’s patients were receiving the dialysis services they needed at dialysis facilities in the immediate area, including North Shore-Long Island Jewish, Freeport Dialysis Center, Lynbrook Dialysis and South Shore Dialysis in Bellmore and Hempstead.

On April 26, the arduous, determined journey home concluded as the center’s staff and 112 of its patients joined by hospital administrators and board members as well as government, civic and business leaders gathered to celebrate the grand re-opening of South Nassau’s Outpatient Dialysis Center. Combining cutting-edge medical technology and expert dialysis care with home-like amenities, the center has been refinished to match its pre-Superstorm Sandy floor plan.

“This celebration and the renovated center is testimony that we can and will overcome any challenge to our commitment to provide a healthcare delivery system that offers superior, accessible and convenient services,” said Mr. Richard J. Murphy, president and CEO of South Nassau. “In the tradition of our mission to meet the communities’ needs for standard-setting healthcare services, we celebrate the grand re-opening of our Outpatient Dialysis Center with one person in mind – the patient.”